Stay With Me
by PartyPanda
Summary: After the events of last finale, Harvey and Donna work out their issues and come to the conclusion they were never meant to be (apart). - Complete.
1. Chapter 1

_This is something I came up with after watching the first half of season 5 and listening to Black English' 'Stay with me'. I do not own Suits or the song. Hope you'll like it._

 **Stay With Me**

.

Harvey and Jessica had sat together in silence for a while when they heard two panic-stricken voices approach fast.

"Rachel, what's going on?!"

"I have to find Harvey!"

They turned around to see Rachel enter Harvey's office. Donna lingered a bit behind and Harvey wondered if it was because she felt like she would be trespassing.

"Rachel, what's going on?" Jessica asked calmly, even though Harvey knew for a fact that there wasn't much more bad news she could handle.

"Mike just got arrested for fraud..!" she choked out and started to cry.

Harvey jumped up in shock. He didn't know what to say. He stared at Rachel. Donna entered and held Rachel to comfort her, looking as shocked as everyone else. Out of habit Harvey let his eyes wander to Donna's and their gazes locked briefly before Donna focused her attention on Rachel again.

Harvey averted his gaze to the ground.

"If you'll excuse me, I've got work to do" he mumbled, still in shock and then left his own office.

.

* * *

.

It was well into the wee hours of the night when Harvey had gone home. He sat on his couch with anger pulsing through his veins. Not the sharp, sudden, flashy kind of anger, but the kind of anger that builds up over time. The kind of anger that started to be ever-present and increased with every disappointment, every wrong-doing, every mistake until it all became blurred and all he was left with was lots and lots of anger.

Harvey had spent the night trying to think of a way to get out of this. To find the solution that would solve it all. But he felt like he was wandering a maze without an exit and every path kept him trapped inside. As Jessica had pointed out, this wasn't the kind of situation where they could afford going in blinded by emotions. They had to be as sharp as they could be, but that was something he had been struggling with for the past few months. What didn't help either was the fact that he had been drinking way too much when he still thought his resignation was the worst that would happen tonight. The alcohol still clouded his mind and ignited his emotions.

So there he was, sitting on his couch, waiting to sober up. Something that wasn't very likely to happen very soon, as he was still sipping his scotch.

Then, there were two soft knocks on his door. He knew who it was the second he heard them, but only when he opened the front door did he realize how happy he was to see her.

"Hi…"

"Hi…"

"Do you want to come in?"

Donna smiled almost shyly as she walked in.

"I was coming to see how you were doing" she said.

Harvey opted for his neutral face and nodded, hoping it would convince her that he was alright. To Donna, however, he showed more emotions than he had in a long time and it hurt her to see him so worn down.

"I know how hard this must be for you, Harvey. I came as soon as Rachel went to her parents…"

Donna looked at him sincerely. Harvey looked down.

"Thanks".

An uncomfortable silence followed. Donna stood in the middle of the living room, holding her purse with both hands, not knowing where to look. Harvey kept staring at her, determined to say something to make the situation better, but coming up empty. He leaned against his counter and fidgeted with his glass of scotch.

Donna eventually regained her confidence and broke the awkwardness.

"For as long as it takes to fix things for Mike, we should put aside whatever it is that's going on between us and work together" she declared.

Harvey bowed his head and looked down.

"I can't" he said and peeked up at her.

"Why not?" Donna replied, frustration lining her words.

"Because I'll know you'll go back to Louis afterwards and I can't go through that again."

Donna opened her mouth but didn't know how to respond. Still, she wasn't going to back down from this topic.

"Are you saying I can't help you help Mike?! Because I need to do something for him..!" she said as she took a few steps towards him.

"Donna, as I said before, I can't both comfort you and help Mike to the best of my abilities."

Harvey turned away from her and walked over to the other side of his living room.

"I _know_ that" Donna replied as she followed him. "But there must be something I can do to help you."

"There isn't."

"Why the hell not?!" Donna practically shouted.

"Because it's all too complicated..!" Harvey threw back as he turned to face her. "And for me to give Mike my best, I have to un-complicate it!"

" _You_ are the one that's _making_ it complicated, Harvey!"

"Alright, you wanna help? Then do what you always did and explain my feelings to me!" he said, meaning for it to sound frustrated, but sounding far too helpless for his own liking.

"How can I when I don't have a _clue_ about your feelings?!" Donna answered in frustration. "That's the whole problem..!"

"And we're back to the start…" Harvey said, exhausted and sad.

They were silent for a moment.

"Maybe that's not such a bad thing…" Donna said softly. "Maybe this is our chance to work it out."

Harvey looked at her and didn't care that she might see right through him or that his eyes would betray how vulnerable he was.

"I'd like that…" Harvey said hoarsely.

They stayed silent for a while, nerves settling in their guts. They both wanted to open up, but it felt like their bodies wouldn't cooperate.

Donna eventually managed to speak.

"Okay, so I'll start" she said nervously. "When you asked me if I wanted everything, I said I didn't know and that was the truth because I never let myself think about that. But I understand that it was too much to ask from you to tell me how you loved me when I didn't even know how I felt myself-"

"No," Harvey interrupted her. "It wasn't too much to ask. You deserved to know, and I even though I didn't know then, I still should have given you a better answer, but I've thought about it a lot over the past few months and I want you to know how-"

This time Donna interrupted him.

"Harvey, you don't have to… I've thought about it a lot as well, and I don't think that it matters."

Harvey looked at her in confusion.

"What do you mean?" he asked softly.

Donna averted her gaze.

"We have nothing in common. You love sports, I love ballet. You love fast cars, I love the theater. I am always going to want us be a unity, and deep down you are always going to want to be a lone wolf. All we have in common is our love for our job and our love for our firm…"

Harvey knew what the conclusion to her argument would be. He sighed.

"Perfect qualities for a working relationship."

"Exactly."

Donna looked him in the eye again and for a second he thought he saw a glint of a daring look, begging him to challenge her. But he didn't, because he knew she was right.

"This realization wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that I made that decision for the both of us after… the other time,... does it?"

"No, it doesn't. Because after you made that decision, _I_ decided to let things run their course…"

"And we never became anything more than friends…" Harvey filled in.

"And we were _happy_ " Donna added.

Harvey nodded. "And as soon as we tried to force it to become more than friends…"

"Shit hit the fan" Donna said with a small smile, hoping to diffuse the tension.

Harvey looked at her with a quasi-disapproving look at her choice of words. He walked over to sit down on his couch and put his glass on his coffee table. Donna followed him and went to sit at the other end of the couch, her feet popped up under her. She leaned her head against the backrest. They stared at each other in silence.

"So… I guess we talked it out" Harvey said after a while, unable to hide the sadness in his smile.

"We let things run their course and it turns out we were never meant to be more than colleagues and friends." Donna stated and sighed, never breaking eye contact. She smiled faintly.

They stared at each other in silence for some more time until Harvey spoke up.

"I shouldn't have been so angry at you for leaving me. It was the first thing you told me after you said you wanted to work for me… I should be thankful that you stayed as long as you did. We both know you had every right to be dreaming of something better…" He smiled lovingly. "You're Donna".

Donna smiled back. 'Something better didn't necessarily mean leaving you', she thought and fought hard to swallow the words.

"I'm sorry that we weren't friends and that we weren't working together either these past months" she therefor said instead.

"Me too" Harvey answered.

"But now we _will_ be working together as friends to help Mike, right?" Donna asked.

"Right…" Harvey answered wistfully. Then, to cover up his mood. "As long as Louis doesn't start throwing tantrums over it."

Donna laughed. "He won't."

Harvey smiled a genuine smile at hearing the sound of her laughter. She noticed it and threw him a sideways glance as she went to sit up straight and put her feet back on the floor. Only now did she notice how tired she truly was.

Harvey figured she was getting ready to leave and even though he would probably see her again in four hours, he didn't want her to go.

Donna rose to her feet and stretched out a bit. Harvey got up as well.

"I should go" Donna said. "We should try to get some sleep or neither of us will be able to help Mike tomorrow."

Harvey looked at her and hesitated. He hesitated for so long that Donna noticed it. She looked at him with those eyes that seemed questioning and knowing at the same time.

"Why don't you stay here" he eventually said and tried to sound casually. "It's way too late to go home now."

Donna kept looking at him. She seemed shocked at first, but Harvey hoped she was just a little taken aback. The longer she kept staring at him with her lips slightly parted in deliberation, the more he wished he hadn't said anything. Though he had just said it because he didn't want her to leave, they both knew what he had really meant and there was no going back now.

But at the same time, he knew if he hadn't asked now, he would've never been able to again. They deserved to say goodbye to what turned out could never be them.

Donna blinked. Her features softened.

"Okay" she said.

Harvey knew he shouldn't smile so broadly in light of tonight's conversation, but he couldn't help himself. He slowly walked over to her while he never took his eyes off of hers. He stopped right in front of her, took her purse from her hands and placed it on his coffee table.

Donna kept looking up at him from underneath her eyelashes. His trademark grin softened into a tender smile. He placed a hand on her waist. His other brushed a strand of hair aside, softly touching her cheek.

Donna smiled for the first time. Harvey realized he should pay close attention to every single detail like this, for it would be the last time he would ever get to see it. Pushing the thought to the back of his mind, he focused on her eyes instead.

They were playful, like they were the _other_ time. And they were reassuring, like they were when she was still his secretary. And they were confident, like they were 99% of the time. And they were scared, like they were the other per cent of the time when her heart was on the line.

Harvey knew his eyes mirrored hers. And then he saw something in hers he knew was in his as well. Love.

He kissed her just as she pulled him closer to her. Their arms wrapped around each other faster than they became aware of what was happening. They kissed and couldn't get close enough. They removed each other's obstructing clothing while they made their way to his bedroom. Only when every part of their bodies touched and only when they looked at each other and kissed each other softly while they made love, did they realize what was really true.

They were never meant to be – apart.


	2. Chapter 2

_**I had intended to keep this a one-shot, but then someone asked me to continue. Since I have often wanted for an author to continue their one-shot myself, I decided I would appease this request, though I am generally not fond of sequels for a reason and I'm aware that this one is no exception to that. Still, I hope you'll enjoy it. As always, thanks for reading and a huge thanks for reviewing.**_

Chapter Two:

After what felt like only minutes of sleep, they were woken by the sound of Deep Blue Something's Breakfast at Tiffany's coming from Harvey's radio clock. They both stiffened, realizing that in this situation, there was no secretly sneaking off or pretending to be asleep. Nor was there time to talk about the inconsistent nature of the conclusion to their late night discussion and of what that meant. The alarm hadn't gone off just to make things awkward. They had actual and important work to do: get Mike out of prison.

So Donna decided to use that fact to make it through the awkwardness. Harvey still lay motionless, finally daring to turn his head to her side. Donna was already sat on the edge, covering herself with the sheet as much as possible, while she tried to grab her underwear from the floor.

"Good morning" Harvey mumbled, not knowing what else to say.

Donna only turned her head partially, acknowledging that he said something friendly and that she was going to say something friendly as well, but avoiding to look at him.

"Good morning" she said. "So, I'll swing by my place and then come straight to the office. I think we should all meet first thing and then hopefully we'll find out if one of us can go visit Mike" she rambled while she fastened her bra. "But we should really have _some_ good news to tell him. We can't just not show up for twelve hours and say 'sorry, buddy, we have nothing', right?"

Harvey had got up and started rushing himself, thinking it was the only way to deal with the situation. They both sat at a side of the bed, backs towards each other, in a hurry to get their clothes on as fast as possible.

"Right. But we need to know who's behind this first" Harvey said while putting on the pants of the suit he wore yesterday.

"I'd rather not find out by having another one of us get arrested" Donna answered, rummaging around the house to find her shoes and purse. Harvey tried to avoid looking at her while they both followed the trail of clothing through his house. He picked up his white t-shirt and pulled it over his head.

"Let's hope Jessica has managed to speak to some of her friends in high places…"

"If not, I will see what my contacts can tell me" Donna answered.

They finally turned around to look at each other, standing with a few yards of space between them. Harvey wondered for a second at the sight of her completely dressed, high heels on and purse in her hands, when he only managed to put on his pants and tee.

"Good" Harvey said, not knowing what else to say.

They stared at each other for a few more long and awkward seconds, before Donna looked down and walked out the door, leaving Harvey with nothing else to do but to close the door behind her.

.

* * *

.

When he arrived at the office a short while later, Louis was waiting for him outside the elevators, looking as determined as ever. As usual, Harvey had no idea what he could expect from him.

"Louis..!" Harvey started casually, only to be interrupted.

"Harvey, before you say anything, Donna told me what happened…"

Harvey's casual look disappeared. Why would she tell him that? He knew she was loyal to Louis, but surely her sex life was none of his business… was it?

Louis didn't seem to notice Harvey's sudden change in attitude.

"I want you to know that both Donna and I will do anything we can to help you and Jessica with Mike. We're at your back and call."

Harvey closed his eyes for a second in relief.

"Thanks Louis, I appreciate it."

Louis nodded and walked off to his office.

As Harvey neared his own office, Gretchen was already in, waiting for him with a message.

"Good morning Mr. Specter. Ms. Pearson wants to see you" she said.

Harvey nodded.

"Any news about Mike yet?"

"Not that I know off" Gretchen answered.

"Alright" he said and made his way to Jessica's office.

.

* * *

.

There, he met with Louis, Donna, Rachel and Jessica. Rachel told them she had only been allowed to see Mike for 15 minutes yesterday and that she was none the wiser as to what exactly was going on.

"Alright" Jessica said with a frown on her face that said that she'd had enough of it. "I'm going to visit Mike and get this cleared up for once and for all.

"That's a bad idea and you know it" Harvey calmly said. "They're baiting you to come to them and blindside you with their evidence so that you either have to give up Mike or confess yourself."

Jessica sighed.

"Harvey should go" Donna said. She knew how much it was killing Harvey that he couldn't go to Mike and get him out immediately. She knew that to him, every second he had to wait to march over there felt like he was doing nothing.

Harvey threw her a sideways glance, surprised that she would still fight for him like this. Their eyes locked for a moment and he felt a bolt of electricity shooting through his body. He quickly focused on Jessica again.

"I do. Mike needs me and I can handle whomever it is that's behind this" he stated.

Jessica stared at him for a moment, deliberating her choice.

"No" she said. Harvey started to lose his cool.

"I'm gonna do this" he said with raised voice.

"No, you're not. You're still far too emotional and it wouldn't be the first time your feud got in the way of winning a client's case."

"This isn't a client, this is Mike..!" Harvey shot back.

"You warned me for getting blindsided, and I think that's a fair point, one that certainly applies to you at the moment" Jessica said sternly, ending the debate. "Louis will go."

Harvey raised his eyebrows.

"You're accusing me of being too emotional and you're sending _Louis_?"

Jessica had enough of Harvey's outburst.

"Yes, I _am_. Because frankly, Louis has shown himself far more rational than you since this started…" she said and waited a second to let it sink in. "Also, he will still seem like a show of force, without raising suspicion that we're all in on… it."

Harvey sighed. She was right. He hated it.

"Alright" he said and looked at Louis. "But the second we've got figured out what is going on, I'm taking over."

Louis wanted to protest when Donna put a subtle hand on his arm. He looked at her and sighed, swallowing his anger and pride.

"Fine. Now, shall we get to work?" he said instead.

Jessica nodded.

"Yes. Louis, you and Rachel will visit Mike. Harvey, Donna, use your connections at the DA's office to find out what you can."

Harvey and Donna shared a short glance again but Donna broke it.

"Absolutely, we're on it" she said.

.

* * *

.

Over the course of the day, Donna wandered in and out of Harvey's office on multiple occasions to discuss a new finding or to check if he needed anything.

Finally, everything between them was back to normal.

It freaked him out to no end.

What was she doing? Did she want to be his secretary again? Was that what she had meant when she said they weren't supposed to be anything more than colleagues?

When he thought about it, between the things they'd said and the things they'd done, he had no idea what either of them had meant yesterday.

All the clarity that their conversation had brought them, had gone out the door the second his lips had touched hers.

Their conversation was intended to bring them some closure, but them sleeping together had just broke it wide open again.

So he had expected that she would have been angry, or sad, or embarrassed at least… or maybe even happy. And he had expected that he would yet again have to get used to a new dynamic between them. But he hadn't expected her to act as if nothing had happened. He probably should have…

There she was again, walking past Gretchen towards his office, swaying her hips like she always did, wearing another one of those gorgeous form fitting dresses, her… _hair_ bouncing up and down with every step she took.

"Harvey, I've got some news and you're not going to like it" she stated.

"What is it?"

"I went to lunch with Rick Anderson today…"

Harvey frowned.

"Rick Anderson? Is that doucheface still hitting on you?" he asked and tried to sound ridiculing instead of jealous.

"Yes, he is. But, for once, that's a good thing" Donna said while she sat down.

Harvey seemed puzzled. He knew her way of being friends was to discuss each other's love life to the fullest extent and he _hated_ it.

Donna leaned in.

"He _still_ works at the D.A.'s office..!"

Harvey made his way to the other side of his desk and leaned against it.

"Really…" he said with a small smirk. Partly, because that meant she had some inside information about Mike's case. Partly, because it also meant that his former rival hadn't made his way up in the world as much as he himself had. And, yes, partly because it meant that Donna wasn't interested in dating this guy.

Donna didn't share his smile.

"He's the prosecutor on Mike's case."

Harvey stopped smirking.

"He hates my guts" he said as he walked around his office.

"He does…" Donna agreed.

Harvey turned around to face her.

"Aren't you supposed to say something to cheer me up?"

Donna smiled.

"When have I ever told you anything but the truth?" she grinned.

Harvey smiled back shortly, but immediately thought about the previous night and that he had no idea if she had been telling the truth.

"Harvey, there's something else…" she started and when Harvey looked up at her she was no longer smiling. He felt a nervousness settle in him as he figured that she wanted to talk about last night.

Donna continued.

"Anderson said that the charge _conspiracy_ to commit fraud wasn't just a formality. He said they're going after you and Jessica…"

That wasn't what he'd expected. At all.

" _Goddamnit_."

"I'm sorry" Donna said.

"It's okay, I can handle him" Harvey said, hoping to reassure Donna or himself.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" Donna asked as she got up.

"No, I have to discuss this with Jessica" Harvey said. "Thanks, Donna" he said as she walked out of his office.

She nodded and left.

.

* * *

.

For the remainder of the day, he tried his best to come up with a way to best handle Rick Anderson and it had left him completely frustrated.

Not just because he couldn't find the solution, but mostly because he found himself distracted time and time again.

If this was her way of showing they worked best just as colleagues, she was doing a lousy job.

She was doing the exact same thing as after _the other time_. She pretended that it never happened and didn't mention it again. But he wasn't going to waste another decade only to do the last one all over again. Because whether he liked it or not, they would still come back to the same conclusion they reached yesterday: they weren't meant to be.

And frankly, he needed the closure to be able to focus all his attention on getting Mike out of prison, rather than think about if she had changed her mind when they slept together.

It was ten o'clock when he decided to leave the office for the night, knowing there wasn't much more he could do at this point and desperately needing some sleep.

As he got inside the car, he knew he should let Ray drive him home, but instead, he decided to get the closure he needed.

He knew she had gone home with Rachel to take care of her and even though he admired her for it, he wanted desperately for her to be home as he knocked just below the 206.

But only when she opened the door did he realize how happy he was to see her.

"Hi..!" she said surprised.

"Hi" Harvey answered.

Donna motioned for him to come in.

"What's wrong?" Donna asked, concern on her face.

Harvey shrugged, unable to look at her.

"Nothing's wrong. Can't a friend just visit another friend?" he asked.

Donna sighed and when Harvey glanced at her she seemed annoyed.

"Harvey, you don't have to tell me it was a mistake. I meant what I said yesterday."

"And I agree with you! But something else happened after that."

"What about it?"

"It shouldn't be like after _the other time_ " Harvey said.

Donna knew what he meant. She shifted her weight from one leg to the other but stayed silent.

"We should talk about it" Harvey mumbled, feeling as nervous and uncomfortable as her.

"Because that's what friends do?" Donna asked, joking nervously.

Harvey smiled shortly.

"Something like that."

"Well" Donna said as she walked into her kitchen. "When friends talk about things like that, they'll need things like this" and she handed him a glass of scotch.

"I can get behind that" Harvey smiled.

Donna smiled back but then turned serious again. She took a step towards him.

"And then they talk about how big a mistake it was..., and that they have no idea how it happened..., and that it should never happen again" she said. They stared at each other.

"And they talk about how they won't make a big deal out of it, because they both knew they are best off being friends…" she said in a soft voice.

Harvey downed his drink without taking his eyes off of her. Those eyes again. Knowing and questioning.

"What do they do then..? Harvey asked hoarsely.

Donna smiled a small smile.

"Then they laugh about how stupid they have been."

Harvey laughed.

"And they laugh about how silly it all was."

She had little smile on her face that seemed content, yet also a bit sad at the same time.

"Ridiculous" he said as he stepped even closer to her.

Harvey heard the blood buzzing in his ears as images from the previous night raced through his brain. They stood close to each other, their eye contact only broken when Donna looked at his lips for a second.

'This is a bad idea' repeated in his head as he leaned in, but any thought was drowned out by the sound of his heartbeat as he kissed her. Again…


	3. Chapter 3

**_Once again a huge thanks for the reviews, the follows and the favorites. So here is chapter three, hope you'll enjoy it._**

* * *

Chapter 3:

Harvey woke up early the next day, which was to be expected since he went to bed relatively early and slept like a baby after doing what he and Donna did.

Images came flashing through his mind.

 _Her naked body crawling over his. His fingers skimming the freckles on her sides, her back, her stomach, her legs. Her eyes looking straight into his soul as she leaned over him, her hands placed firmly on his chest. How she closed them and how her arms started to buckle as she pressed her upper body against his, a few strands of auburn hair falling in his face._

The only thing that had happened was that they had agreed that _the other time_ would be the _only_ time and since then he had spent each night making memories like those.

Yet after sleeping together two nights in a row, waking up together was still as awkward as ever. Today proved to be even more awkward than the morning before, because Harvey was now holding her slender body in his arms as she was still fast asleep.

Should he wake her and talk about what happened… _again_? Should he stay in bed and wait for her to wake up herself? Should he quietly leave and ignore what had happened just as she had done after the night before?

God, the 'just friends'-thing had proved to be different than he had thought and it _hadn't_ made things easier between them at all. Damnit, of all times they had to start crossing that line it had to be when they had just realized it was the worst idea and Mike was in prison. He was not going to make the situation worse by having her wake up in his arms. That was most certainly _not_ what friends did.

So Harvey very slowly pulled his arm from underneath her body and once he was free, he stayed still for a few moments to make sure she was still asleep. He took one last look at her, decided against pulling up the sheets to cover her now bare upper body and slipped out of the bed.

As soon as he walked out of her apartment building, he started having doubts about his decision to leave her. By the time he entered the office as one of the first, what had once seemed like the best and only way to handle the situation, had become his biggest regret. Yet he didn't know why.

.

* * *

.

From the moment he started work he was nervous for her arrival. And then the moment came. He was just outside his office leaving a few notes for Gretchen when he heard the elevator doors open and looked up. She stepped out of the elevator and walked in the direction of Louis' office. Harvey didn't know what to do so he went inside his office and pretended to be hard at work as she passed his office.

"Morning, Harvey" she said in no particular tone.

"Morning" he responded.

When she was out of sight, Harvey leaned back in his chair and stared ahead.

.

* * *

.

A little while later he walked over to Louis' office for their scheduled meeting about Mike's case. Donna was working diligently at her desk. Harvey didn't know what to say to her and decided that his priorities should be with his meeting with Louis so he walked by her desk without saying anything.

Louis talked to him about how Mike was doing and what he had discussed with him. He talked about what seemed to be the best defense strategy to him and how he figured the case would develop. Harvey listened to him, all the while very aware of the pair of eyes that were looking at him through the glass walls.

Eventually, Louis must have noticed it too because he changed his attention from Harvey to his secretary, who in turn immediately looked down at her computer screen, pretending to be concentrating on her work just as Harvey had that morning.

As he left Louis' office he still didn't know what to say so he walked back to his own office.

.

* * *

.

Harvey managed to get some work done without thinking about her hair or her freckles or her eyes. He felt rested, which was the main reason he had been able to focus on his work for as long as he did, but ironically also the reason he was now distracted from his work.

He couldn't stop wondering how he would spend the upcoming night. He knew it was a mistake, one that was never supposed to happen, let alone twice. He knew they had agreed on the fact that it should never happen again. He had no idea why he had done what he had, nor did he know why she had let him.

It _could_ happen again…

He was shaken from his thoughts when he saw her walking briskly towards his office. She stood in front of his desk in no time. For no apparent reason, he jumped up from his chair.

"Here are Louis' files on Mike's case" she snapped.

Harvey took them from her hands and put them down, while he kept looking at her.

"Donna…" he started.

"What?" she said and put a hand to her side.

"I…" he stammered while looking at her with his most apologetic face. "I'm sorry for leaving you without saying… anything" he mumbled.

Donna looked away, her frustration evident. She snorted.

"You think _that's_ what I'm angry about?!"

Harvey smiled a little to hide his confusion.

"No" she stated sternly. " _That_ was a mistake. A big, gigantic, fat mistake. One that we should forget as soon as possible."

Harvey sat down in his chair again. Donna kept standing.

"I'm angry, because after _everything_ , you started treating me like shit!"

"What are you talking about?" Harvey asked with raised eyebrows.

"I'm talking about you ignoring me all day. You don't look up to greet me, you don't say anything when you went to talk to Louis and I _know_ you were waiting to get these files until I was away..!"

"That's not true, I didn't even know he had the files ready for me yet" Harvey answered.

Donna got upset.

"Harvey, _all_ I want is for us to be friends and I've been _trying_ to be your friend again, but now I'm wondering if you even want to be friends..!"

Harvey felt the frustration rise in his chest and jumped up at her accusation.

"Of course I want us to be friends..!" he snapped back. "But _this_ is not what friends do!" he shouted in exasperation while pointing back towards the elevators as a symbol of what went on at home.

"You blame _me_ for that?!" Donna shouted back.

"No!"

"Then what are you saying?!"

 _That maybe forcing us to be just friends is just as bad as forcing us to be more._ He swallowed the thought.

"I don't know."

Donna pursed her lips, anger still clear on her face. Harvey avoided her glare. Her heavy breathing was the only sound in his office. Then, she abruptly turned on her heels and walked out.

Harvey sighed.

.

* * *

.

He remained angry for the rest of the afternoon, though he had no idea who he was angry at. Then Louis walked in and Harvey got ready for a nice argument with his favorite punching bag. He got up and walked around his desk towards Louis as if trying to physically block him from entering further.

"Louis, I don't care what it is, now is not the time" he said and he knew it was one of the easiest ways to provoke him.

It was working, but Louis took a few breaths to calm himself.

"Harvey, please listen, this is important to me."

Louis' plea calmed Harvey down a bit.

"Louis…" he said, hoping he would come back another time but knowing he wouldn't. Harvey walked back over to his desk.

"Look, this is about Donna…" Louis said nervously.

Harvey turned his head to Louis.

"What about her?" he asked, masking every emotion he felt a second ago.

Louis went to sit down at Harvey's couch so Harvey decided to lean against his desk as he waited for Louis to answer.

"I _know_ … she and I will never have… what you had" Louis started uncomfortably, looking everywhere but at Harvey. "And I wouldn't want that."

Harvey crossed his arms, partly amused and partly nervous where this was going, and waited for Louis to continue.

"I've noticed that you seem to have found your old routine back with each other. And I know that with Mike and all this is a special situation, and as I said before I will do whatever is needed and if that means that you and Donna will be working together more often, that's fine by me…" he rambled.

Harvey couldn't help but smile a little.

"Louis, what's going on?"

Louis looked him in the eyes for the first time and hesitated.

"I think that she may want to go work for you again…" he said. Now it was Harvey's time to avoid eye contact as he turned around and walked to the other side of his desk. He _had_ wondered the same thing over the last two days. He opened his mouth but before he could think of anything to say, Louis continued.

"And as much as I would hate it, if that's what she wants, then… I'm okay with it."

Harvey sat down at his desk.

"That's very altruistic of you Louis" Harvey said with a smile, hoping their conversation would end here. It didn't.

"Just, Harvey, promise me one thing, please…" Louis said as he got up from the couch.

"What is it, Louis" Harvey asked friendly.

"I know I've asked you this before, with Esther. And I know things got a little out of hand after you broke your promise and I don't want to put you in a situation where you would have to break your word again…"

Harvey knew where this was going and felt his heartbeat increase. Louis continued as he came to stand in front of Harvey's desk.

"But please, Harvey, if I'm going to lose my secretary to you, don't let it be because you started sleeping together."

Harvey didn't know how to respond. His mind drew a blank. He knew he looked like an idiot and that even Louis was probably able to read every secret from his face.

He looked away and started laughing.

"Louis, it's not like that between Donna and me..! How could you even think that?" he bluffed.

Louis frowned.

"Donna told me you already slept together once. I don't care how long ago it has been. I know what kind of man you are and how perfect a woman she is. It's only a matter of time before you seduce her again."

Harvey started to feel sick to his stomach. How could he get him to shut up?

"We're just friends. Ask her. Now are you done acting like we're teenage girls?"

Louis thought about it for a moment and ignored his insult.

"So you'll promise you won't sleep with her while you're working on Mike's case?"

"I promise" Harvey answered, justifying it in his head by the fact that he only now made this promise and had every intent to keep it. Louis never needed to know about the last two nights.

Louis nodded.

"Thank you, Harvey" he said and walked out, leaving Harvey with a lot to think about.

.

* * *

.

That night, Harvey went straight to his apartment after work. He cooked himself a meal, listened to a few records, and watched a little TV.

He felt more miserable as the hours went by. Every so often he glanced over at his door and waited for a knock that didn't come.

How could she fight with him while Mike was still in prison? Worse still, how could she just leave without talking it out?

He got up from his couch and walked over to pour himself a drink, while he glanced over at the door once more. Should he go over to her apartment to confront her again? There was still plenty to talk about if they ever wanted to start un-complicate things. But he wasn't going to be the one to bring it up again, just so she could show him how easily she dealt with it all. If she could ignore it and not make a big deal out of it, so would he.

There were three short knocks on his door and his heart leapt.

He put the glass and the decanter down and rushed over to the door, trying to calm himself because tonight he couldn't act on impulses.

Only when he opened the door did he realize how much he had needed to see her.

She was nervous and it was obvious, even though she tried to mask it. She pursed her lips and stared him down as if she was ready to continue their fight, but he saw she felt vulnerable and just wanted to come in. He knew he shouldn't invite her in tonight, for nothing good could come out of that, but he did so anyway.

Donna stepped inside his apartment and he followed after her. Instead of her usual figure-hugging dresses, she was now wearing a pair of jeans and a loose sweatshirt underneath her trench coat. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. _God, she's pretty_ , Harvey thought for a second and then pushed the thought aside.

"Can I get you anything?" were the first words spoken since he opened the door.

"No, thanks" Donna answered. "I won't be staying long."

Harvey grabbed the drink he had poured himself earlier and turned around to face her.

She avoided making eye contact.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry for leaving things like that… at the office" she said.

Harvey nodded and took a sip from his drink. Donna waited for him to respond, but when he didn't, she continued.

"You were right..!" she said in exasperation.

"I usually am" Harvey responded. Donna threw him a quasi-annoyed look. He smiled shortly.

"I meant with… _us_ … and what's happened…"

It was Harvey's turn to look down.

"Yeah…" he mumbled.

"I know it… _complicates_ things…" she said apologetically.

Harvey hated that he had somehow made her feel responsible for everything that had happened between them the last few days.

"Look, as you said, it's just as much my fault… I _am_ usually the one that makes things complicated, right?" he said with a small smile. Donna smiled back. Harvey sighed and looked straight at her. "Look, I really, _really_ want us to be friends. And I don't want anything to threaten our friendship ever again…"

Donna swallowed. Ever so often he would open up to her and let her know how much he cared about her. Ironically, those were the same times he talked about them not crossing the line. He was still looking at her, waiting for her to respond. She blinked.

"I want us to be close again as well" she just above whispered.

Immediately, the image of her body pressed against his as he kissed her last night flashed through his mind.

He averted his gaze and nodded, while he took a step towards her.

"I'm sorry I ignored you today" he offered.

"Thanks" Donna said.

"So… friends?" Harvey asked with a smile.

"Friends" Donna answered with a content smile, but again Harvey thought he saw something different in her eyes.

He couldn't act on it though. Not after his promise to Louis.

They stood in front of each other in silence for a while and looked each other straight in the eyes. They knew this was truly it. They were saying goodbye to any other 'them' for good. Two nights ago, they thought that that had been the moment, but instead they had lived in a bubble where they spent their nights as lovers for two days.

It was over now. No more excuses to hide behind. They knew nothing could keep them together. They would wake up tomorrow as friends.

So Harvey smiled the same content-sad smile as Donna. And they smiled at each other with their hearts aching. And they yearned to touch each other once more in the face of eternal friendship. But they couldn't.

But neither could they make themselves move away. So they stayed frozen on the spot, secretly wishing that the other would make a move.

And in either of their minds, the other did. So Donna's smile turned from sad to mischievous and Harvey stretched his arm out to grab the lapels of her coat. Against his better judgement he slowly pulled her closer to him and she complied. As he did so, he had no idea what he was planning on doing next when she stood directly in front of him. He knew he couldn't do anything, but his body had a mind of its own. He couldn't look her in the eye so he focused on his fingers that still held her coat.

 _This shouldn't be happening_ , Harvey thought and tried his best to picture Louis' face when he confronted him about Esther. But every memory of Esther or Louis or their fight was forgotten as he could only think of Donna and how beautiful she looked, how amazing a woman she was, and how much he wanted her.

He looked up at her and she kissed him. And he kissed her back. And she wrapped her arms around him and let her fingers play with the hair on the back of his head. And he still firmly held on to the lapels of her coat with one hand as he let the other travel to her hip and her butt.

And then they had to come up for air and while the air filled his lungs, Louis' face filled his brain.

Shocked, he pulled his head back to create some space between them. He let go of her jacket and stared at her with a bewildered expression. Donna had closed her eyes the second he had pulled his head back and was now staring at the ground. Harvey grabbed her shoulders because he knew one wrong move of her would make him unable to resist her again.

They both sighed.

"I… I can't do this" he stammered between breaths.

Donna finally looked up at him. She seemed okay and not nearly as shocked as him. To be fair, she probably hadn't just pictured Louis' face after a hot make out session.

"I know" she laughed embarrassedly. "Thank God at least one of us came to their senses in time…"

She shook her head and laughed a bit while she put her face in her hands. Harvey hadn't taken his hands off of her shoulders and he wasn't sure if it was to keep her at a distance or to keep her from leaving. She still thought he had stopped them because he didn't want her like that. He wanted to shake her to get her to understand that that was not the case. And he wanted to explain why he had stopped them, but he didn't know how when she was feeling embarrassed for kissing him and once again calling it all a mistake.

Donna chuckled one last time before she started to move in his grasp.

"Alright, okay, I'm just gonna… go" she said as she pointed towards the door while avoiding eye contact.

Harvey let his hands fall to his sides.

"Okay" he said.

Donna hesitated for a second, but then turned around and walked away, out of his door again.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Thanks again for reading, favoriting, following and reviewing. Sorry it took so long to update. I'm planning on posting the next chapter sooner. I hope you enjoy this one._**

* * *

Chapter 4:

Harvey went to sleep that night with a strange feeling settling in his gut. Despite the confusion and the void in his bed, he managed to get a few hours of sleep. When he woke up the next morning, the feeling was still there and it didn't go away by showering or drinking his coffee. He didn't feel like eating breakfast, so he went to the office early, not knowing what else to do.

As walked over to his office, he decided to swing by Louis first. Donna wasn't there yet. That was maybe for the best. Louis was sitting at his desk, facing the window and speaking into his Dictaphone. Harvey knocked. Louis spun around to see who was visiting him this early.

"Harvey..!" he said surprised. Harvey smiled friendly.

"What can I do for you?" Louis asked then.

Harvey's smile fell from his face. He didn't know why he went over to Louis first thing this morning. And then, as he thought about it, he realized he had wanted to tell him how well he had handled last night's situation and how he had managed to live up to his promise to Louis.

Harvey mentally cringed at his own ridiculousness and swiftly covered it up.

"I came by to check if you had any news on Mike's case…" he said in all seriousness.

Louis being Louis, he took this question as a challenge to prove Harvey how good an attorney _and_ friend he was being. Harvey noticed him getting nervous as he spoke.

"Mike's doing well, considering… I know that you think we should settle but I don't see how that would go and it would give the firm exposure, especially you and Jessica, and me of course…" Louis rambled nervously. Harvey was just relieved that Louis hadn't noticed his ridiculous reason for coming to talk to him, so he let him go on.

"We would be vulnerable to any number of law suits. But I'm _not_ going to throw Mike under the bus, either, if that's what you think. My plan is actually quite clever. I'm going to blindside _them_ with-"

But Harvey had stopped listening, for in the corner of his eye he had spotted something red moving towards them. His heart skipped a beat and the feeling in his stomach changed from nauseous to nervous.

He didn't know why. It was probably because he feared she would be angry at him for turning her down. What should he say to her?

"… So basically, they will get Litt the hell up..!" Louis concluded his speech triumphantly.

Harvey focused his attention back on his fellow attorney and smiled.

"Sounds like a great plan, Louis."

Louis beamed with pride as Harvey slowly made his way out of his office. He walked to Donna's desk and looked at her. More like drank in the sight of her. She was right. He _was_ capable of looking at her like that, but now that he had started, he couldn't stop anymore. As he stopped in front of her cubicle and she directed her attention to him he felt his face turn as red as the stunning dress that was hugging her curves.

"Hey!" she greeted him cheerfully.

"Hey" he said. It sounded lame to his ears.

Feverishly, he searched his brain for something else to say. It took a bit too long for his own liking.

"Do you have time to go over Louis' defense strategy with me today?"

He cringed inwardly, for the second time today, at his ridiculous behavior.

Donna didn't seem to notice.

"Sure" she said.

Harvey thought it best to make his exit now without embarrassing himself any further.

"Thanks" he said and walked away, ignoring his screw-ups with all his might.

Once in the safety of his office, he sat down at his desk and rubbed his face. It had to stop. Whatever had been going on with them; they had worked it out and now he was over it. He was over her, that much he knew. It was time to move on.

.

* * *

.

So later that day, when she came walking over with a bunch of files in her hands, he focused on those files instead of the red dress or the brightness in her eyes.

"Hey" he greeted her casually.

"Do you have time now to go over Mike's case?" she asked.

Harvey put his pen down and looked at her.

"Yes, absolutely. That case has been dragging on for far too long if you ask me" he said and walked over to his armchair, motioning for her to take the couch.

Donna sat down and laid the most important files out on the coffee table. Harvey started reading some of the transcripts of Mike's interrogation.

"So Louis is going over today to try to get Mike out on bail. Even if he won't succeed, it'll help with his plan…" Donna said.

"I know it won't succeed" Harvey answered, still reading the files.

"And why is that?" Donna asked skeptically.

Harvey looked at her.

"Because Louis can't keep anything a secret" he said and smiled.

Donna laughed.

"That's true. He is lucky that I'll never tell a soul of the things he records on his dictaphone…"

"Not a soul except me..?" Harvey tried.

Donna threw him a quasi-scolding look.

"No, _especially_ not you..!"

"Smart move."

Donna smiled.

They kept working together for the rest of the afternoon. Harvey got more work done than he had in a long time. Now he had moved on from that thing with Donna, he was able to see everything else more clearly. Before they knew it, it was well past seven.

Harvey leaned back in his chair.

"I'm going to order us some food, anything you want?"

"You know what I want"

Harvey prided himself for not reading anything into her words.

"I'm not ordering Thai."

Donna pursed her lips and looked at him quasi-insulted.

"Then get whatever the hell you want."

Harvey could have sworn he saw her smile naughtily for a second, but since he was over her, it didn't affect him.

Suddenly, the nausea he had been feeling earlier returned. Why did she have to mention Thai food?

He ordered them tapas and only ate a few himself. Donna frowned.

"Why aren't you eating?"

"I _am_ eating" he quipped back.

Donna tilted her head.

Harvey avoided her eyes.

"I'm not that hungry."

"Bullshit"

Harvey dropped his pen dramatically.

"Okay, let's hear it."

"You're sad… and worried…" she started and studied him intensely.

Harvey looked her in the eyes, defenseless as always. She continued.

"And you're angry at yourself. You wish you had done something sooner. You wish you could do something now…" she said softly.

Harvey looked down.

"I don't…" he stammered, not knowing what it was he wanted to say.

"Harvey, it's going to be fine. Everything will be alright" she said and Harvey let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding.

"You and me and Louis and Jessica _will_ get Mike out."

Right.

"Thanks" he said. "Maybe it's just the flu" he added jokingly.

Donna smiled as well.

"Let's hope not, 'cause then I'll sure as hell get it too…" she mumbled under her breath but Harvey heard her perfectly and fought the images of them kissing coming to his mind.

They continued to eat in silence.

"In all seriousness, I have been really worried about Mike and this whole situation and it's been taking up most of my attention. I haven't even asked Rachel how she's doing…"

"She understands, Harvey. We all know how hard this is on you…"

"So how is she?" he asked.

"Well, you know, she's trying to keep it together, but it's hard…" Donna answered.

"I can imagine…" Harvey said. "I'm glad she has you as a friend."

Donna smiled.

"And I'm glad _I_ have you as a friend" Harvey added, trying to sound lightly. Donna played with her food.

"So how are you handling all this..?" Harvey asked because it was the first time they talked as friends in a long time and he was genuinely concerned about her.

Donna looked down and smiled.

"I'm just glad you're my friend again" she answered.

It broke his heart that she could be so happy with only these few moments of friendship and he wished he could offer her more. But even if he could, she wouldn't accept it since they had decided that being friends was best for them both.

The feeling in his gut welled up again and he felt his heart rate increase. Definitely the flu.

Harvey's train of thoughts was stopped when he spotted Louis wandering past his office for the umpteenth time that day. Suddenly overwhelmed with annoyance, Harvey put his fork down and got up.

"Excuse me" he mumbled to Donna as he made his way out of his office, closing the door behind him.

"What's up Louis?" he called after the man who had quickly walked further down the hall.

Louis turned around and slowly walked back to him.

"Nothing, I was just seeing if Donna was still here, I wanted to ask her some things…" he clearly lied.

"Cut the crap, Louis. If you want to ask something, you come in. You don't walk past my office every twenty minutes for the last two hours!" Harvey said.

Louis frowned.

"Well, maybe, I would have come in if I hadn't been afraid to walk in on you working through the Kama Sutra..!" Louis spat back.

Harvey raised his eyebrows and tried to calm himself after hearing Louis' accusation.

"Louis, I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that, because not only is it the most name partner-unworthy thing I have ever heard you say, it's also a terrible and unwarranted insult to the woman you so desperately want to keep as your assistant. And let me be clear: I might let you get away with a lot of crap you give me, but I will _not_ let you do or say anything like this about Donna again."

Louis nervously looked everywhere but at Harvey, knowing Harvey was right.

"Now I'm going back to work, I suggest you do the same" Harvey practically ordered.

Louis immediately turned around and walked away. Harvey tried to shake the annoyance before he entered his office again.

Donna looked at him suspiciously.

"What was that all about?"

Harvey avoided her scrutinizing stare.

"Nothing" he said as he walked back to his chair.

"I heard my name" Donna said accusingly.

Harvey sighed, not in the mood to get into this.

"It's nothing, can we get back to work, please?"

Donna noticed his change in attitude and knew that there was most definitely _something_ going on between Harvey and Louis. But she also knew that there would be a better time and place to find out exactly what, and what it had to do with her.

So she looked at him for a few seconds longer, before focusing on their work again.

.

* * *

.

Some time later, Donna started yawning and Harvey was rubbing his eyes. He closed the case file in front of him.

"Let's go get some sleep" Harvey said and hoped she wouldn't think he meant _together._ In the same bed. Without sleeping.

Donna nodded. "We'll finish this tomorrow" she said.

Harvey got up and put the files in his desk drawer.

"If Louis will let us…" he mumbled.

"Why wouldn't he?" Donna asked.

Harvey locked his desk.

"Never mind."

Donna pursed her lips. If there was one thing she hated it was _not knowing_.

She walked back to her cubicle to get her things, greeted Louis and walked over to the elevators. Harvey was waiting for her and somehow, she had known he would. She smiled and they got in the elevator together.

They rode the elevator down in silence. As they got off and walked towards the exit, Harvey had half a mind to invite her over for a drink, but decided against it. So they stood facing each other awkwardly before Donna broke the silence.

"Goodnight, Harvey"

"Goodnight, Donna. See you tomorrow."

She smiled as she walked away and got into a cab.

.

* * *

.

When he got home, Harvey found that he had nothing to distract him from the feeling in his gut anymore. It made him feel restless, and constantly wondering whether he felt good or bad. It was a certain craving that no food nor alcohol could satisfy. It exhausted him.

He figured that maybe a good night's sleep would solve the problem, so he went to bed early. He lay down and thought about how much had changed over the past few days. Truthfully, it had been a long time coming, but now it was already in the past. The end of an era.

And frankly, he felt quite good about the outcome. Being friends with Donna was great and now that they had explored other options both rationally and _physically,_ he knew that being friends was enough if it meant being friends forever.

Even if he had started to develop other feelings for her, he was over that now and she clearly was too, which meant that they were _finally_ at the same page. He was really proud of them how well they had handled it all and how easily they had left all that behind and immediately found a new routine as purely friends.

…

But still, his bed felt empty as did his heart. He turned in his sheets. How he wished this would all be over soon. That Mike would be out of prison, trying to outsmart him again. That he was done dragging up the past with Dr. Agard. That Donna and he would truly be happy as friends again and that the last few days would be well into the past. That he could focus on his work and being the best damn closer in the city of New York.

Damnit, this wasn't working. He wasn't getting any sleep and without any distraction, these thoughts would keep occupying his mind.

He jumped out of his bed and got dressed. He felt like going out for a run, but he felt too exhausted – _damned flu._ But he needed to get out, get some fresh air and find something to distract him. He dressed himself to the nines, put on some cologne and left his apartment.

Only outside did he wonder where he would go. Tonight was the first night without _seeing_ Donna – among other things. But he would see her again tomorrow so there it was neither needed nor desirable to visit her now. These were the times he really, _really_ hated that Mike was in prison. Somehow, he had rather grown accustomed to having him around to distract him when he needed it.

He walked past a club with music blazing inside and decided that this might be just what he needed. As he got in, he made his way through a crowd of dancing, laughing, chatting and flirting people. As he reached the bar, he ordered a Macallan 19 and another one after that.

.

* * *

.

One drink too many, he felt worse than before. He just couldn't enjoy the club as he normally would and that annoyed him. It seemed that lately, he had become his own worst enemy. No longer able to control his emotions, making mistake after mistake, haunting himself with thoughts of what-if.

He paid his bill and walked out. He wasn't planning on going home, not yet. He needed a success first, needed to go back to being his own in-control self before he could fall asleep. And he needed Mike out of prison without any further ado.

So he went to the only place that could help him get all that. As he walked past the security officer, he tried his best to seem sober and quickly entered the elevator.

A few minutes later, he was back in his office. He let himself fall down on his couch and closed his eyes for a second. Then, he got up, grabbed the files from his drawer, fired up his laptop and started finding a way to get the charges dismissed.

Some time later, he still hadn't made much progress. It was after midnight and Harvey found it harder and harder to concentrate.

He poured himself a drink and put on some music. He looked out the window and leaned against his desk. He took a big gulp of his scotch. He shouldn't be drinking any more tonight.

All it did was increase the craving and slowly it became clear to him what it was that he craved – or _who_. In the middle of the night, with the honesty of a sleep-deprived and drunk man, he could no longer deny that he wanted her with everything he had. She was pure perfection and he was a fool for not acknowledging sooner that he wanted her _in every possible way_. He was a fool to think she wouldn't have the same effect on him as she had on every other man that knew her. He adored her just as much as Louis, or their clients, or all her past boyfriends. God, who was he kidding? He adored her much more than that. He had just made the mistake to think that his feelings were dependent on hers. But her feelings of friendship didn't change the fact that it would never be enough for him.

He wasn't over her _at all_.

Suddenly, he heard his door open and close and turned around sharply. As if she had sensed his thoughts, Donna stood hesitantly in his doorway.

"Hey" he said surprised as soon as his initial shock had settled.

"Hey" she answered. "Can I come in?"

Harvey nodded and walked over to fix her a drink.

"Thanks" she said as he handed her a glass.

"So, what are you doing here?" she asked him after a while.

Harvey tried his best to seem as sober as possible.

"Ehm, actually I was going over Mike's case once more…" he said. And then, to diffuse the attention: "How long have you been back at the office?"

Donna tried to act casually.

"Probably two, maybe three hours…" she said. "Couldn't sleep."

Harvey looked away. "Me neither…"

"So have you found anything?"

Harvey shook his head. Donna nodded in encouragement.

"I'll help. We'll go over every single detail until we fall asleep." She smiled.

Harvey found it rather difficult to keep himself from kissing her with the alcohol buzzing through his veins and his newfound realization with it. Still, he wasn't going to say no to spending the night with her, even if it wasn't quite the way he wanted most.

So they started working again, Harvey being impractical by insisting to sit in his arm chair while there was plenty of room on the couch next to Donna. Donna didn't question him about it, though, and after a little while Harvey was able to focus completely on their mission.

When Donna disappeared to the library, he immediately missed her but he would be damned if he would let any of his feeling show. So he worked and worked until Donna returned, hoping her absence wouldn't be for nothing.

"You find anything?" he asked, looking up from his paperwork.

Donna had a slight frown.

"I don't know, I don't think so… I'm not sure, you should look at these…" she said and dropped a pile of copies on the coffee table. Harvey sighed and leaned back. He locked eyes with her for a second and imagined that he saw the same longing he felt.

He looked away and got up, pouring himself another drink. He walked over to his window again and stared outside. He usually loved the view, but now it was a pale comparison to what he saw if he turned around. He took a step back to lean against his desk. Only yesterday, when he still thought he was okay with being friends, it had been so easy to kiss her. Yesterday, he had stopped because he had made a promise to Louis and hadn't know he was in love with her yet. If she would kiss him now, he wouldn't give a damn about his promise to Louis. But she wouldn't kiss him and he wouldn't kiss her because they had agreed that that wasn't what they wanted.

He was shaken from his thoughts when Donna walked over and leaned against his desk next to him. Together, they stared outside and sighed.

Their quiet commiseration was brutally disrupted when the door was slammed open and Louis's accusing voice echoed through the hallway. Harvey and Donna jumped up and turned around.

"What the hell is this, Harvey? You lying piece of shit!" he shouted as he made his way into Harvey's office.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Harvey shouted back, eager to fight.

"You not once, but _twice_ promised me nothing was going on and you even scold _me_ for thinking it, and now I find _this_ at one thirty in the morning..!" Louis seethed with anger.

Harvey felt his blood rise.

"Louis, I swear to god, get out of my office. Now!"

"What? You're gonna hit me again? Throw me through your window this time maybe? I know you would. You act on all your impulses like a wild animal…"

"Louis, calm down. What is the matter with you?" Donna shouted at him.

Louis directed his attention at her.

"Calm down? I will _not_ calm down. _All_ I wanted was for you to be happy. And I knew, when you came to work for me _he_ must have hurt you so badly that you would consider me at all. But then you got closer again and I decided that if working for him was what made you happy, I wouldn't stand in your way. Just as long as it wouldn't be because he seduced you again. Because _I_ know that he will hurt you again. He _will_ hurt you again, Donna. And I don't want to see you hurt again."

"Louis, nothing has happened" Harvey said calmly in hopes of diffusion the tension.

Louis's anger returned immediately.

"Shut the hell up, Harvey, I know what I see. I've never seen anything more post-coital than what I just witnessed. Hell, I can practically smell the sex in here!"

Harvey and Donna both started to blush. Harvey masked his embarrassment with anger.

"Louis, I have warned you. I will not tolerate you talking about her, _or me_ , like that. So get the hell out of my face before I beat you senseless."

Louis remained unimpressed.

"Louis, I don't know where you would get the impression that anything has happened here… I can assure you, all we did was trying to find a way to get Mike out. Here, take a look at the files."

Louis looked away unimpressed and huffed. "So, Donna, you're going to tell me that you haven't slept with Harvey while we were working on Mike's case?"

Donna's face reddened. She frowned.

"I can't believe you can't see how inappropriate it is to ask someone that. It's none of your business, Louis!" she yelled.

Louis stayed calm and nodded.

"I think I have my answer." He directed his attention back to Harvey. "I will do everything in my power to destroy your career, even if it is the last thing I'll do.

Harvey rubbed his face.

"It was before I made that promise…" he said.

Louis seemed taken aback.

"What?"

"What promise?" Donna asked, anger lacing her words.

Harvey closed his eyes and sighed.

"What promise?" Donna asked again.

"I promised Louis that I wouldn't… let anything _happen_ between us while we were working together…"

Donna looked at him in disbelieve.

"So that's why yesterday you didn't…"

Harvey nodded. "I'm sorry, I…"

But before he could find the right words, Louis interrupted.

"So you're saying that you have slept with her, just not after you made your promise to me?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me then you had already slept together?" Louis prodded, the anger almost gone.

"Because it's really none of your business..!" Harvey answered, still angry at Louis's behavior.

"And you really were working on Mike's case?"

"Yes!" Harvey said, frustrated.

"Okay. I'm sorry. We can all have a drink and forget it happened?" Louis opted.

Donna looked from one man to the other and shook her head. The realization of what had been going on sank in slowly and she felt too angry to even look at either man. She sighed and briskly walked out of the office, leaving the two men embarrassed behind.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Thanks again for the reviews, favorites and follows.**_ **_This is the last chapter. Hope you'll like it._**

Stay With Me chapter 5:

Harvey sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. Louis hopped nervously from one leg to the other. Neither of them said anything. Harvey sat down behind his desk again, trying to organize the mess they had created that night.

He had expected Louis to wander off to his own office again, but Louis remained standing. Even worse, he kept looking at Harvey with intense confusion on his face.

"What are you still doing here?" Louis ironically asked eventually.

Harvey raised his eyebrows.

"Me?!"

"Yeah, you! Go make things right with Donna!"

Harvey pushed his chair back and got up.

" _I_ have to make things right? You are the one responsible for this disaster!"

"Yeah, well, apparently, _you_ have a shot with the most amazing woman on earth, for goodness sake, go after her and fix it!"

Harvey threw him a cynical look.

"I do _not_ have a shot with Donna, and it doesn't even have anything to do with what happened tonight…" Harvey confessed.

Louis got even more confused. Before he could ask anything else, Harvey continued.

"Besides, I think you're right. Chances are, I probably _will_ hurt her…"

"No, don't say that!" Louis interrupted. "I only said that because I was angry with you, I had no idea how much you felt for her..!"

Harvey walked over and stopped in front of Louis.

"It's for the best to leave it like this, Louis."

Louis looked utterly defeated.

"Let's get out of here" Harvey said as he grabbed his coat.

Louis hesitated and looked over at the coffee table.

"If it's alright with you, I'm gonna stay a bit longer and go over the things you found tonight."

Harvey nodded.

"Goodnight, Louis."

"Goodnight, Harvey."

As Harvey made his way out of the office, he tried his best not to think about tonight's events or Louis' words just now.

'… _You have a shot with the most amazing woman on earth…'_

He remembered the way his heart beat when she sat next to him. He also remembered the hurt look on her face when she realized what the reason was why he had stopped things the night before.

Even with all her arguments why they shouldn't be together, even with her stoic way of dealing with what happened between them, even if she truly believed they shouldn't be together, she had wanted things to continue between them.

She wanted to be with him, or else she wouldn't have let things go so far as she had the previous nights.

And God knew, he wanted to be with her. _Badly_.

As soon as he stepped outside the building, he called for a cab to her apartment.

It was past two in the morning when he knocked on her door softly, as to not wake the neighbors.

No response.

Two more knocks, a bit louder.

Still nothing.

"Donna" he just above whispered.

"Donna, please let met in…"

He knocked again, quite loudly this time. She didn't answer.

He hesitated for a bit longer before realizing that she wasn't going to open the door for him.

Eventually, he turned around and left.

.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, he opened his own front door and stepped inside. As he closed the door behind him, he saw her and only then did he realize how relieved he was to see her.

Donna stood in the middle of the open space in his living room.

"Donna…" he breathed.

She looked like she wanted to say something but the words didn't come.

Harvey walked towards her.

"I'm glad you're here. I went to your house, but you weren't there… Obviously."

Donna still didn't move a muscle.

"I'm _really_ sorry about what happened tonight. I know I should have never let Louis dictate your life like that…"

Donna blinked shortly. Harvey continued.

"But in all fairness, I _did_ think you wanted the same thing as him…"

"I did. I do…" Donna responded quickly.

Harvey took a step closer to her.

"Why?" he asked.

Donna looked surprised.

"What do you mean? We talked about this, you agreed we should just stay friends, it's for the best" Donna rambled, reciting the arguments she had been repeating in her head over and over.

"I know" Harvey sighed. "We have been happy as colleagues and friends. We have nothing in common, we keep hurting each other when we try to be more…"

Donna eyed him suspiciously.

"Exactly" she said with caution.

"Donna, I don't care. You're right, with our history, any attempt at a relationship will probably end in a disaster, but I don't care. With all the odds stacked against us, we can only exceed our expectations. I want you and I want _all_ of you. I love you, Donna. And the past nights have been the greatest nights in my life, despite what's going on with Mike. You talk about how we're not supposed to be together, but all it does is make me love you more. So maybe you're right, maybe I am an idiot for not seeing that we were never meant to be, but to me it feels like we were never meant to be _apart_."

Donna blinked away the tears fervently.

"It could never work…" she whispered through the tears she was trying to hold back.

"You're right, we shouldn't expect anything. It would be silly to be anything more than friends" Harvey whispered as he took another step closer to her.

"Harvey…" Donna warned.

"All we would do is argue about how lame Shakespeare and the Yankees are" Harvey added.

Donna looked so desperately it tug at his heartstrings.

"We should say goodbye now and never mention this again" he whispered softly, his lips almost touching the skin on her cheeks.

Donna closed her eyes to keep the tears from falling.

His lips hovered above her tear-stained cheek. His hands were raised but frozen mid-air to keep himself from pressing her against him.

Harvey stayed still for a few moments. He badly wanted to touch and comfort her, but he needed a sign from her that she did feel the same way. He looked down at her face and noticed the tears rolling down despite her efforts to keep them in.

But she didn't move. Harvey's heart broke. She _really_ didn't feel the same way. She hadn't been afraid and she hadn't been punishing him when she said they weren't supposed to be more than friends. For her, the possible issues between them were insuperable.

' _So this is_ really _it_ ' he realized. The moment they would say goodbye to any other them.

He felt his throat close up with emotion and tears prickling in the corners of his eyes. Still, he couldn't be mad at her. His feelings were never a guarantee for hers to be the same.

"Goodnight, Donna" he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.

Donna pressed her eyes shut even firmer but tears kept rolling down nonetheless. She opened her eyes but avoided his gaze. Hesitantly, she moved her hands upwards and let them hover around his face for a second. Then, she let her fingers gently trail over his cheeks, before she quickly settled them on his chest. Harvey tried to swallow the lump forming in his throat. How he wished he could kiss her.

Donna sighed and looked up at him with those dark pools he loved so much. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, before Donna finally spoke.

"I love you too, Harvey."

And then she kissed him. Soft and lovingly. Harvey was so surprised he didn't respond at first, but soon his instincts kicked in and he finally hugged her body close to him and kissed her with all his heart.

And he kissed her again when they woke up that morning and pulled her even closer to him. She smiled.

Never again would they be apart.

.

THE END


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